Liverpool have three senior players reaching the end of their contracts in the summer and interest from Spain has tempted one of them away from Anfield.
Barcelona sporting director Deco considered reigniting the club’s long-term admiration of Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
According to journalist Sique Rodriguez, Deco and Barcelona held a meeting with Alexander-Arnold’s agent having previously considered a move for him when Xavi Hernandez was their manager.
Barcelona met with Trent Alexander-Arnold agent over deal away from Liverpool
Alexander-Arnold, who is ranked at no. 1 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best right-backs in the world right now, is instead set to join Real Madrid.
Rodriguez reports that Barcelona ended their interest in the Liverpool right-back because of their need to comply with financial restraints in Spain.
Rodriguez also claims that Barcelona opted to place their faith in Jules Kounde and recruit an understudy instead of an upgrade, conveniently avoiding the need to compete with Real Madrid for Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool-born England international has been a one-club man up to this point in his career.
At the age of 26, he has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and even the Club World Cup with his boyhood club, but has decided to move on with his contract at an end.
Alexander-Arnold will link up with international team-mate Jude Bellingham at the Bernabeu, where he’ll also follow in the footsteps of two former Liverpool players who came through the ranks at Anfield before heading to the Spanish capital.
Steve McManaman joined Real Madrid from Liverpool in 1999 and went on to win La Liga twice and the Champions League twice with the Spanish giants.
Five years later, Michael Owen left Anfield to join Madrid. Though his time in Spain was shorter and less successful by far than McManaman’s, Owen was well regarded at his new club after initially struggling to find his feet.
Alexander-Arnold should have no such issues. His role as a long-term replacement for Madrid legend Dani Carvajal, 33 years of age and out for most of this season after suffering a nasty knee injury, couldn’t be clearer.
He has the pedigree to step into the role with ease and the more Real Madrid play on the front foot against teams that defend deep and need unpicking, the better Alexander-Arnold will be.
With Kounde in place, Barcelona’s fleeting interest wouldn’t have given him the same opportunity and it’s likely that Alexander-Arnold would have opted for Madrid regardless.
Indeed, it’s possible that Real Madrid were the only club that could have tempted Alexander-Arnold away from Anfield.
